The Magical Underground
by acekemp
Summary: A twist in destiny changes the fate of the Chosen One. A new family, different friends, and more important priorities emerge as she advances through life, as an heiress to the owner of the powerful Odysseus Enterprises, as well as the heiress of an illegal group.
1. Chapter 1

The Magical Underground

Chapter One: A Fair Deal

Richard Armitage stood in his office within the City of London. It sat at the top of a large skyscraper, with on what was most days a spectacular view of the skyline, which frequently served to inspire him to keep going. Today was not so great for him. Things would get messy today. He walked towards the door of his glass-walled office, his secretary rising when she saw him, a pile of papers in hand. As he opened the door he spoke to her. "Not today Laura, I'll deal with them tomorrow." Before she could reply, Richard had already passed. But she was not prepared to say anything when seeing his mood.

Five minutes later saw Richard exiting the building. The home of a business he had grown from small beginnings. In all of his thirty-five years, he never thought he could be so successful. Odysseus Enterprises was the name. And it spent its time developing gear that was used for scientific and historical exploration. NASA was a frequent client of his on this front, and it was their orders that were the most lucrative. However, he also had a second business which was took up a lot of his time. As he entered his chauffeured car, it was this second business that he was concerned with. Someone was refusing to pay up, and it was his policy to try and talk them around personally before any unpleasantness was needed. His destination was a place called Privet Drive. And as the car drove off, he readied himself for a verbal, and possibly physical confrontation. Though he had backup if it came to that.

Vernon Dursley was extremely nervous that day. Taking a day off from work today originally seemed like a good idea. Vernon Dursley was not a very observant man, but he could tell when there were unfamiliar cars parked on the opposite side of the road that something was happening. And as always, he believed there was one person who was the cause of it. "Petunia!" He shouted, causing two separate cries from the house. "Where is the freakish thing?" In response to the question, Petunia came downstairs, a child in her arms with a towel wrapped around it. "Please do try not to shout dear. She's where she always is." At the confirmation, Vernon nodded. "Good, there have been cars watching our house all day. We can't go out for dinner as planned. It would be strange if we were to go out when I was supposedly ill." He left the window, and returned to his seat in front of the television. "So if you could dear, tell the old bat not to come around." And as Petunia left to go and phone Mrs Figg, they both missed a Rolls-Royce roll up in front of the house, and a well-dressed man exiting the vehicle.

Richard was not impressed with the outside of Number 4. These people had borrowed money, but hadn't appeared to of spent it too well. But that wasn't his problem. His problem was that his operation needed to be viable, and wouldn't be if people didn't pay. It wasn't the only thing his little venture did obviously, but it was a part of it and he wanted everything to be good, not just some. He needed people to hold up their end. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door. He was greeted by a woman, who had a horse-like face. She was holding a crying child in her arms. "Yes?" She asked, though judging by her tone she wanted nothing but to be done with this as soon as possible. "Mrs Dursley, I do hope I'm not intruding too much. I'm a business associate of your husband, and need to discuss an urgent deal. Would you mind if I come in?" Petunia looked up and down his clothes, as if she was wondering how much money could come from this deal, then peered around him to look at his car. Her eyes shined with greed as she replied to him. "Of course, Mr?" She trailed off.

"Robinson. Erwin Robinson." Richard said, stepping inside. It wouldn't be good if something happened, and they had his real name. The woman closed the door, before turning round to face him again. "He's just in the living room. If you'll excuse me, I have to give Dudley his bath." Richard nodded to her, and went through to what he assumed was the living room, and saw a large man sitting in a chair. Stepping through the door of the living room, he closed it behind him, making the large man jump in his chair. "Mr Dursley, we need to talk." The man turned off the television, and stood to face him. "Who are you?" Dursley asked angrily.

"I am the man you owe money to Mr Dursley. Payment is due."

"Get out of my house!" Dursley shouted, stepping towards Richard in a threatening manner.

"Do not try and fob me off Dursley. I have people outside ready at the touch of a button. Sit down." At the mention of possible reinforcements against him, Dursley wisely sat down. Richard continued, examining the room as he did so. "I assume from your reaction that you don't have my money." He paused for confirmation, which he received when Dursley shook his head at him. "So I'll take possessions that are equal to your debt." Seeing the eyes of the Dursley patriarch widen, Richard pressed on. "So I think I will be taking the TV, but apart from that I will need an audit of your home. Obviously your wife will find out."

"No, not Petunia." Dursley interrupted. Facing away from Dursley, Richard smirked. "She doesn't know. I have a bit of the money, can I pay in installments."

"No, all or nothing Mr Dursley. I will send my associates around tomorrow." As Richard left the living room and headed for the front door, he heard what seemed like a whimper coming from the cupboard under the stairs. Curious, he opened it, and saw a baby girl, not more than a year or so old. He turned around to Dursley, who had just followed him out of the living room. "You keep a child in a cupboard?" Richard asked, a cold fury flowing through his words. He continued quickly, not allowing Dursley to answer. "I will take this child with me, and give you an extra week to repay the debt. This is a final non-negotiable offer." Richard was disgusted to see the man nod his head eagerly. "I will need her birth certificate and any other relevant documents pertaining to her. Bring them out to my car." As Dursley went upstairs, Richard picked up the baby girl, and carried her out to his car.

A few moments later, saw Richard and the baby girl who he had since found out from the birth certificate the Dursley's had handed to him to be call Harriet Potter, in his car. A knock came on the window, and he opened to see his his right hand man, Henry Kilmore. "Is that a baby sir?"

"Yes Henry, I struck a deal with the Dursley's, one I am loath to keep. In a weeks time, I want you to break into their home, and ruin everything. Electrics, water, gas. Then once they borrow more money to fix that, I want you to make the older male Dursley to have a slight accident. I'll leave you to figure out the details." At the last point, Henry smiled.

"I look forward to it intensely sir." Richard nodded.

"How it happens is up to you Henry." Turning to his driver, he requested the drive home. How was he going to inform the wife that the family had just gained a fourth member. A sister for David? Yes, he thought. That would work comfortably.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Ten Years Later

Three people were walking up a private road in Oxfordshire. If anyone had been around, they would have found these people bizarre. They consisted of an old man who looked to be well over a hundred and moving rather well, an older woman, and a black haired, middle aged man. The only thing they had in common was the outlandish style of their clothes. Dressed up in robes, with the woman going the extra mile to wear a very pointy hat. These three people were Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, and Severus Snape. Teachers at a very exclusive school for gifted youngsters in Scotland. At least, that was how they presented themselves in the letter to a Richard Armitage when they sent his daughter a letter. They were very surprised to receive a letter back, tied to the owl, expressing the desire for a meeting, and sent an address to arrive at, as well as a date. And so, on the first of August, they had set out for this meeting. Rounding a corner at the end of the road, which happened to be between some very well kept hedgerows, they saw a large, imposing metal gate, along with security on either side of the gate. Bewildered, they approached the guards, who halted them. "Names please." One of the guards said whilst approaching them, along with two other guards.

"Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall and Severus Snape. We have a meeting." The one who identified as Albus said, looking benignly at the guards. The lead guard talked again. "Check the names. We'll search." Indicating the other two, he came to a stop in front of Albus. "Sir, I'm going to search you for any weapons. Please stretch your arms to the side." Albus obliged, and stretched out his arms. As the guard finished his pat down, he pulled out a thin stick which he found in the sleeve. "Any point in this?"

"A lucky charm. We're quite superstitious." At the reply, the guard frowned at Dumbledore.

"Well, we'll be keeping these particular items. But apart from that, you're free to go through." The three guests nodded, and headed through the imposing gates, into the grounds of Armitage House.

Even Dumbledore, who saw Hogwarts castle on a regular basis was in a slight sense of amazement at the size of the house and the grounds surrounding it. Neatly cut grass on either side of a neat gravel driveway. The house itself was a sight. Three storeys with large windows overlooking the front and the driveway. Columns adorned the outer walls between the windows, and the sun was shining upon the house making it look even more glorious. At the end of the driveway which circled around as it reached the house, an ornate fountain was situated. As the delegation from Hogwarts rounded the fountain, an older gentleman stepped out of the doors to the house. "You must be the teachers from Hogwarts. I'm Richard Armitage, a pleasure." He offered his hand, and Dumbledore was quick to take it.

"Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster. These are my deputies Minerva McGonagall and Severus Snape. Is your daughter around?"

"Jessica will be around somewhere, it is merely a case of finding her." Richard looked up at the sky. "Seeing the beautiful weather today, my best guess would be in the garden pavilion. Please follow me."

If the front of the house was impressive, then it was topped by the enormity of the gardens behind it. A mix of paths, carefully sculpted hedgerows and small, carefully planned streams pervaded the set flower beds. In some areas, a small amount of carefully and lovingly cared for woodland, near to a placed waterfall. Intrigued, Severus Snape asked a question that the other two of his comrades were finding themselves asking in their minds. "How can you afford this house?" Richard smiled at the question.

"The house was bought by me back in seventy-nine. I changed the name and updated the security, as well as fixing the garden because it was a mess. My company is a multi-million pound business. We have a very comfortable lifestyle here." They rounded another corner, and Richard pointed upwards. "There's the pavilion. Just to the side of the waterfall."

A further five minute walk found them stepping into a peaceful, white pavilion. Inside this pavilion, there were two children. One was a boy of about fourteen, working with a textbook to one side and a pad of paper on the other. The other child was the one that was important to the party. A raven haired girl, lounging on her part of the bench, reading a book that Snape made out to be The Hobbit. At a slight cough from Richard, both kids looked up, and all three of the visitors had stifle a gasp at the slight marking of a lightning bolt scar on her forehead. "Hello father. We're just relaxing up here." The girl said with a melodious voice. The boy turned and looked at her incredulously.

"Relaxing. You're the one relaxing, I'm here trying to do summer homework and you're sitting there laughing at me when a wasp comes buzzing by." The now annoyed expression on his nearly caused outright laughter from the girl, but she settled for a broad smile. "Relax brother, we have some guests look." She stood up and walked over to her father and the Hogwarts. She extended her hand to them each in turn. "Jessica Armitage. A pleasure to meet you." After they had all shook hands, the group sat down and began what would turn out to be a very long discussion.

"Well, I think that went terribly well." Dumbledore said, as they appeared back at Hogwarts. Severus looked at him.

"Albus, please tell me you noticed the scar. It's Harriet Potter. I thought she was at the Dursley's." McGonagall quickly followed on. "I thought you keeping an eye on her Dumbledore, not allowing her to be looked after by total strangers." Dumbledore shook his head, and looked at his two deputies. "I think you are both overreacting to this piece of news. Although she will no longer have the protection of the blood wards. Her happiness will hopefully allow her to learn quicker and make her more powerful. Voldemort won't stand a chance against her." McGonagall nodded, but Snape was not quite satisfied yet. "And if she isn't?"  
"I would be very grateful if both of you could keep an eye on her whilst she is here. And you will not have to hate her so much. After explaining the scar, I'm sure they will find a way to cover it up." Not allowing Severus to reply, Dumbledore went into his office. He needed to adjust his plans for this development. Maybe he wouldn't need to destroy her afterwards. If she was happy, then surely she would not turn to the dark. Hopefully she would make the right friends. But the best policy would be to wait and see.

 _Just a quick note to PM me suggestions for a pairing, which I will then put to a poll. Details on profile page._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Getting Ready

Richard, David and Jessica stood in fascination as they entered Diagon Alley. Even with his advanced years, Richard had not seen anything such as this. A colourful array of buildings down a wobbly cobbled street which was currently bustling with people, some with bags. Above the cacophony, the occasional sound of an animal could be heard from the pet shop further down. They moved down the alley, and caught sight of the large, white building that they were told was Gringotts Bank. As the group finally managed to enter the bank, they were greeted with what they would have assumed, were they not previously told their name, was something completely grotesque managing the tills. Warily, having been somewhat off-put by coming face to face with one of the 'goblins' that actually ran the financial institutions of Britain, they stepped forward in front of a teller. "Excuse me sir." Richard said, the goblin looked up. "How much for two hundred galleons?" Richard quickly asked, completely understanding the position of the goblin who would need business to be as quick as possible. "One Thousand sir." Came the answer from the goblin who looked at Richard as if saying he couldn't afford it. Richard was sure he noticed a small look of shock on the goblin's face when he didn't even question it, simply pulling out the necessary money and handing it over. Quickly shaking out of his reverie, the goblin handed over a sack, which Richard assumed had the money inside. Thanking the goblin, Richard took the sack and left the building, his two children following behind him.

They had entered the clothing store back up the main street after popping in to the book store to buy the relevant books, along with others that Jessica, David and Richard had found potentially interesting, when they were presented with a quiet enough building to finally strike up a conversation. "Father, that wand shop is absolutely dreadful." Jessica commented, as they waited for someone to come and serve them. "I know darling, but apparently it is the only one." Richard replied, sharing his daughter's distaste for the shop just from the look outside. "You would think that for such an important part of the experience, it would be kept in better condition." David said, looking impatient. "Speaking of which where is the service in here?" They had not yet been served, nor had they seen any sign of any staff member. Just as they seemed to be preparing to leave, a door opened in the back room, and a blonde-haired boy and someone who was quite clearly his father came out of it.

Lucius Malfoy was very good at decoding people. He was good at decoding people because he needed to be able to tell their intentions from the moment he met them. It made it easier to get people to do what you wanted. So when he saw a man and his family who were clearly muggle, but judging by their clothes was definitely rich, he decided that it was in the best interests of his own plans to try and become acquainted with this person. For ultimate victory he knew that sometimes, personal opinions needed to be set aside so a greater advantage may be gained. As the daughter went off into the fitting rooms, accompanied by Madam Malkin, he walked over to him. "Apologies for the long wait, we were in need of a few items."

"Not your fault. Richard Armitage." Richard extended his hand, which Lucius took firmly.

"Lucius Malfoy. First witch in the family?"

"Yes, but she is going to be great. I know it."

"I'm sure she will be." Lucius then decided to cut to the chase. "What do you do Mr Armitage?"

"I'm a prominent businessman. Listen I hate to rush this conversation, but Jessica has just come out and we need to buy her wand. Is there any other place than Ollivanders?" Richard said, seeing Jessica exit.

"No, I'm afraid not. But I'm sure you're in a hurry. With luck, I will see you on the September the first. Good day." Lucius exited, hearing a hurried goodbye from Mr Armitage. He had the name of both the witch in the family, and of the father. After Draco was gone, he would need to research both. They could turn out to be quite useful.

An hour later saw the Armitage family in the car. The trip to the wand shop had been a disaster, with none of the wands 'choosing' Jessica. Unable to leave a customer, the shopkeeper had offered to make a personalised one. He got her to hold a translucent stone, that glowed several colours before the shopkeeper removed it, and charged fifty galleons for the wand to be made and delivered to their home tomorrow. He did notice on the way out however, that the sign on the door was very quickly changed to close, indicating that he had started work straight away. David and Jessica though were surprised when the car pulled up outside a nondescript shop. "David stay in the car. Jessica come with me." Richard said brusquely. The children nodded, and Jessica followed her dad out of the car. The two entered the shop, and Jessica found it to be your normal corner shop, which people would pop in to get a quick drink. Richard however, knew what it really was, as the shopkeeper greeted them. "Can I help you?" He asked.

"Yes, I'm looking for some thyme." Richard said. The shopkeeper looked at him with piercing eyes and then jerked his head in the direction of a side door, before going back to his work. "Come along Jessica." Jessica's confusion at the conversation was no longer important at her father's words, and she quickly followed him across the shop, and through the side door. Inside it, was a Hispanic man, with a briefcase behind him. At the closing of the door, he turned around.

"Hey Rich, I thought you weren't coming man."

"Apologies, I was unexpectedly delayed. You brought the packages." Richard said, indicating the briefcase.

"'Course man, usual fee and its all yours." Richard took an envelope out of his inside jacket pocket, and handed it to him. "Thanks Enrique. You're a lifesaver."

"No problem Rich." Enrique said, before exiting. Richard walked over to the briefcase. Inside was a Walther PPK, which he handed to Jessica, whose hand initially went down with the unexpected weight. "I need to be sure you're safe, and this is the best way of doing so. Henry will be overseeing your initial training of the gun. I want you to be able to use it before you leave." Jessica nodded, but Richard was still very much giving her a serious talk. "You know a bit about what I do outside of the business, but it's going to become a lot more dangerous soon. Especially now me and my colleagues are no longer around to protect you. David attends my meetings, and from Christmas, so will you. You will learn our business, and I have confidence in you darling." He knelt beside her. "One day you will take over with your brother, and I need to know that you will be ready to do what is necessary for the family." Jessica looked into her father's eyes, a determined gleam inside of them. "Of course father, anything for the family."

 _A/N So I still need some suggestions for the pairings for Jessica, which will start probably around 5th year. If you want anyone you particularly want to see, review or PM with your suggestion, and I will put a poll later. Thanks._


End file.
